Holland Methodist Church

Author: HMC-Media Team

When Silence Is Golden

“While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” (Matt. 17:5)  

Jesus’ ministry was approaching a decisive period. Matthew, one of the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), tells us that Jesus led Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, apart, by themselves (Matt. 17:1), and that he was transfigured and became radiant.  The “high mountain” is not identified, and Jesus did not disclose the purpose of the separation/isolation. 

This awesome occasion — Jesus praying (Luke 9:29), Jesus’ appearance with his clothes transformed (Luke 9:29), the appearance of Elijah and Moses (representatives of the O.T. Prophets and Law respectively) (Mark 9: 4), the conversation between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus (Matt. 17:4) — should have constrained the disciples to be silent, observant, attentive, and listening.

However, Peter could not be silent. He thought the moment was worth capturing and wanted to concretize it by erecting three dwellings: “one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Matt. 17:4). Mark’s explanation is that Peter did not know what to say because he was frightened (Mark 9: 6), and Luke says he was drowsy (Luke 9:32). What happened next was, in human terms, as if God were saying, “Peter, shut up and listen!”

The text tells us that Peter’s speech and train of thought was rudely disrupted. “While he was still speaking … a voice said, “This is my Son … listen to him!” (Matt. 17:5; Luke 9:34). This was an occasion for God to speak. This was an occasion when silence was golden. The disciples must listen.

One of the important principles in life is to know when to speak and when to listen; when to be silent. Unfortunately, sometimes we are afraid of silence, or we are easily distracted in silence, or we are so overwhelmed by the moment that we feel we must find something to say, even if it is inappropriate.

Can you recall an occasion when you spoke, and on conclusion you wished you could have taken back every word? Or you felt diminished because what you said was inappropriate or ill-informed? Friends, a question can be bad, but pardonable. However, a statement embroidered and seasoned with self-confidence, pride, and arrogance can leave us devastated.

Prov. 10:19 says, “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but the prudent are restrained in speech.” Yes! sometimes it is better not to say anything, but rather, to just listen.

Someone once said: “God gave us two ears and one mouth, which suggests we must listen twice as much as we speak.” That is valuable advice. It is not every time we see or encounter something that we must be quick to speak. If we are to speak, the right time to speak will come. Furthermore, sometimes we need to think long and hard before we speak. Sometimes we must be silent.

Let us cultivate the virtue of silence. It can be invaluable.

Thought:        Keeping one’s mouth shut is a great virtue.

Prayer Focus:  Ask God to help us to be more ready to listen than to speak.

A Superior Covenant

“But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” Hebrews 8:6.

God unconditionally and independently chose Abraham and initiated a covenant relationship him and his descendants. They were God’s special people and an instrument to reveal God’s love and grace to the rest of humanity. This covenant required obedience to the Commandments which were written on tablets of stones and carried from place to place and could be left anywhere at any time. Unfortunately, the chosen people were prone to wander, plagued by a spirit of forgetfulness, and were frequently punished for their disobedience and rebellion. 

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God promised a new covenant. In the new covenant God said: ‘I will put my law in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’ Jer. 31:33b.  The implication is that they would have God’s requirements and expectations with them every second of the day.  God “contracted to a span” (CW) and became a human named Jesus; Jesus taught and demonstrated the love of God, suffered and died to successfully institute the new covenant.

Hebrews 8:6 tells us that “the covenant of which Jesus is the mediator is superior to the old one since the new covenant is established on better promises”.  It was superior in that it   was not limited to the people of Judah and Israel but included everyone because God loves everyone and became a human being to redeem everyone, not just some persons.

It came with wonderful promises such as: “Whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:15; “…apart from me you can do nothing” John 15:5; “I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also” John 14:3; “…nothing can ever separate us from God’s love” Rom. 8:38;  “There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain” Rev. 21:4;  and those who love and serve Jesus will live forever. 

Also, this new covenant provides for an intimate relationship with God like the relationship between vine and branches. This requires the full surrender of oneself to God; the full embrace of God’s will and God’s way; the declaration that: “I am no longer my own but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you, exalted for you, or brought low for you”.

We must seek to become so closely connected to God that we share God’s life, and the beauty of Jesus can be seen in us, and then “every day with Jesus will be sweeter than the day before”, and daily we grow to love Jesus more and more until at last we are lost in God, our true and everlasting home.   

Thought:     
Be so closely connected to God that God is manifested in and through us.

Prayer Focus:
Pray to be drawn nearer and nearer to God as we live during 2021.

Rev’d Everald L. Galbraith J.P.
Connexional Bishop

Renewing Our Covenant

Sisters and Brothers,

Another year has gone by, a year like no other. Our wildest imaginations could not have prepared us for the events that we lived through during the past year, and yet, through grace, we have had passage through COVID-19 and more and have arrived at 2021. A Blessed New Year to you; and may the rich blessings of our God continue to be our experience this year.

If we have learnt well, we certainly recognise that life is God’s gift to be valued. And we can show that we place value on our lives by taking care of ourselves in the different dimensions of life – seeing to our physical, emotional and mental health as well as that of others (especially in the continuing COVID era); celebrating the social aspects of our life together ( even when virtual reality takes over) and engaging in helpful political activity ( as lockdown has shown us more of what we can and must change); nurturing our spiritual life and enriching that of others (for only in grace we do survive); and so on… Life is valuable! Let us treat it that way. Right living together is our best way of saying thank you to our Life-Giver.

While we may be hoping and praying to return to our communal gatherings, meeting together physically for worship and fellowship, let us resolve not to ignore the lessons we learnt during the 2020 pandemic. We need each other to survive. Our mistakes harm others, and not just ourselves. We have learned the importance of small gestures that show we care. We have found ways to communicate our loving concern even when we could not be together in the same space.

Let us not forget the valuable lessons learnt. Let us not expect to go “back to normal” if normal means not making the effort to show each other that we care, to communicate our love, concern, and respect for the other persons whom we had probably taken for granted. If “normal” means going about our own way in small selfish circles, without deep regard for those whom we tended to forget, then God forbid that we should go back there!

What this means, is that when we do congregate again, our coming together must bring warmth. Those who join us must feel special and welcome for being among us. Let it be said again that Methodists are “people of the warmed heart”. For when the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, it warms those around us. Our encounters with others can be avenues through which they come to see God’s love alive in humans. Let us show thanks for our survival to 2020 by showing more people what it means to know God personally.

Indeed, we can give real meaning to what we sing when we renew our covenant with God this year, praising the One “who kindly lengthens out our days” whose “providence has brought us through another [truly] various year”, when we let the following be our motto

“Our lips and lives shall gladly show
The wonders of thy love,
While on in Jesus’ steps we go
To see thy face above”.

And we make Charles Wesley’s prayer our very own:

Our residue of days or hours
Thine, wholly thine, shall be,
And all our consecrated powers
A sacrifice to thee.

Charles Wesley, 1707-1788, VIP# 503

May the Lord’s name be praised even in and through us.
Joan Delsol Meade, Pastor